| |SEPTEMBER 202019LATEST CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY TRENDSThought CentralBy Deepak Suvarna, Chief Projects Officer, Mahindra Lifespace Developers LtdT he Diffusion of Innovation Theory states that every technology goes through five phases in its journey of adoption by users. The first 2.5% are the innovators; the next 13.5%are ear-ly adopters; followed by 34% who are `early majority'; 34% of late majority; and finally, 16% laggards. Globally, the construction industry is seeing signif-icant shifts in adoption of technology, resulting in increasingly `smarter' and more efficient outcomes. Some of the key milestones in this journey towards a smart, data-driven and responsible ecosystem are listed below.VR&AR: Virtual Reality (VR) has been an emerg-ing trend over the past few years and represents the ability to transport the user to an alternative real-world sce-nario, though there is a cost involved. VR offers immersive solutions for the building industry, enabling stakehold-ers to collaborate in the design process. For those companies who start using it now, it will transform how they project and build. In fact, many stakeholders believe that there will soon come a day when, instead of using safety goggles, the planning and plotting of sites will begin even before breaking ground.Construction companies have be-gun using VR and AR (Augmented Re-ality) technology to enhance worker safety training. This allows construc-tion workers to visualize what they're learning, instead of just reading about it. Firms also use apps that connect VR/AR technology to their BIM (Build-ing Information Modelling) software. This enables virtual walkthroughs of a structure, which in turn facilitates in-formed design decisions earlier in the construction process, thus saving time and cutting costs.CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE AND DATA ECOSYSTEM: Real-time, data-driven collaboration software is already an essential com-ponent of the development process. However, its impact on the construction industry is expected to increase sub-stantially in the near future.Integrating existing processes and systems into a single, fully-connected platform enhances project efficiency. Software solutions for different func-tions and disciplines in the course of construction of a project can now be easily combined, thus minimising de-lay, rework and communication gaps. A reliable, real-time collaboration soft-ware can serve as the digital backbone of the construction process from start to finish.BIM:BIM is one of the hottest construction technology trends. BIM technology is considered as the catalyst for funda-mental change in how we manage, de-sign and develop a construction project. There are many different levels of pro-gramming enabled through BIM, with 4D and 5D BIM as key examples.BIM improves accuracy in the building process and facilitates the exchange of key project information between stakeholders. As it evolves, BIM will make construction projects more productive and affordable by in-cluding sustainability and safety as first principles. BIM proffers a detailed depiction of the project development in an open and collaborative environ-ment. It helps designers produce 3D mock-ups of a planned structure that also incorporates cost and time infor-mation. Variables such as construc-tion methods and materials can be fed into the software to compare the costs over time of differing techniques or materials used.Deepak Suvarna
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